Luigini and Estaço, Venice and Antwerp, 1554 & 1553, French tan calf, the de Thou copy

Luigini, Francesco. Francisci Luisini Vtinensis In librum Q. Horatii Flacci de arte poetica commentarius. Venice: Heirs of Aldo Manuzio, 1554

[Bound with:] Estaço, Aquiles. In Quinti Horatii Flacci poeticam commentari. Ad Joannem quartum Lusitaniae principem augustissimum. Antwerp: Martinus I Nutius, 1553

First edition of this commentary on Horace. Cf. Renouard's copy in Toovey catalogue, described as "thick paper."

During the early years of his collecting, Jacques-Auguste de Thou (1553-1617) commissioned some extravagant bindings; however, the great majority of his acquisitions were simply bound, with his family arms on the covers (D’argent au chevron de sable accompagné de trois taons du même) and his monogram on the spine: IADT (OHR 216, 1-3). After his marriage in 1587 to Marie de Barbançon-Cany (1587-1601), De Thou ordered a new arms block, impaling her family arms (D’argent à trois lionceaux de gueules armés, lampassés et couronnés d’or), and a new cipher joining their initials: IAM (OHR 216, 4-6). Following Marie’s death in 1601, De Thou ordered a third set of blocks uniting the arms of his second wife Gasparde de La Chastre (1577-1616) and initials: IAGG (OHR 216, 7-9). It seems that De Thou retained possession of all these tools, and lent them to several binders.

De Thou bequeathed his library of some 9,000 volumes jointly to his children, with his friend the bibliophile Pierre Dupuy serving as guardian. Jacques-Auguste II de Thou (1609-1677) became sole owner in 1642 after the deaths of his two elder brothers, and his purchase of the share in the library held by his sister. In 1669, his creditors took possession and ordered a catalogue, published in 1679 under the title Catalogus bibliothecae Thuanae. The printed books were acquired en bloc in 1680 by the Marquis Jean-Jacques Charron de Ménars (1643-1714), who in turn sold them ca. 1706 to Cardinal Armand- Gaston-Maximilien de Rohan-Soubise (1674-1749). The library was finally dispersed after the death of Charles de Rohan, Prince de Soubise (1715-1787), principally through an auction conducted 12 January-20 May 1789 by the bookseller Charles- Guillaume Leclerc.

See lot 2, Bibliotheca Brookeriana, sale, 11 October 2023.

2 works in one volume, 4to (200 x 143 mm). Roman, Italic and Greek type, 39+43 lines plus headline. collation: Luigini: A-Y⁴: 88 leaves; Estaço: A-T⁴ V²: 78 leaves. Historiated initials in both, woodcut Aldine device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank) of first work, woodcut printer's device on title-page and final verso (otherwise blank) of second work. (Second work a little toned.)

binding: French tan calf, before 1587 (205 x 149 mm), single gilt fillet around sides, gilt arms of Jacques Auguste de Thou as bachelor in center, spine with raised bands in six compartments, title to second, others with De Thou's cipher. (Small water stain to upper cover, rear joint just cracked, rebacked.)

provenance: Jacques Auguste de Thou (1553-1617) — Pierre Dupuy, Paris, 7 April 1680, II, p. 323 — Jean-Jacques Charron, marquis de Ménars (1643-1718) — Armand Gaston Maximilien, Cardinal, prince de Rohan (1674-1749), purchased former's library in 1706 — Charles de Rohan, prince de Soubise (1715-1787), pressmark "3.C.P.T.3.C.69" — Charles-Guillaume Leclerc, Paris, 12 January-20 May 1789, p. 329, lot 4766. acquisition: Purchased from Eric Speeckaert, Brussels, 2010. references: (1) UCLA 457; Renouard 162/20; Edit16 27191; USTC 838848; (2) NB 11873; USTC 400887; Not traced in STCV (Short Title Catalogus Vlaanderen)